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escapeFrom reality to dreamlike fictionEscape into your own world 5

escape Editor HERIN PARKFeautured Story Authors Photographers LEVA KWESTANY JOSEFA HOLLAND-MERTEN RACHEL TAYLOR JOHN SALZARULO IVANA MCCONNELL BEN ROSETT MARIA TAYLOR HARLI MARTEN AAS JODY DAUNTON PADURARIU ALEXANDRU Short Story Authors ADAM PRZEWOSKI PATRICK SCHÖPFLINJOANNA FITZGERALD SOPHIA BABOOLAL ROSY ROGERS SAMUEL ZELLER SKY ZHANG LEN DELA CRUZ EDITH WHARTON NAPHTALI MARSHALL JOHN GALSWORTHY PAUL JARVIS ALES KRIVEC esc JAY MANTRI RAFAŁ NACZYŃSKI GENIE AUSTIN VADIM L JEFF SHELDON CASPAR RUBIN PATRICK HENDRY 6

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CONTENTS

escape Feautured Stories 11 On the Road 19In Conversation with Nick Hand 23 A Life Upward 31 Let Nature Be Nature 41 A Seed For Life 50 The Story of I 58 A Collection of Short Stories 61 Lost In The Colorful Maze 62 71 The Voices of A City 76 An Unwavering Omission 79 Increasing Chances Certain People The White Monkey9



escape ON THE ROAD WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY LEVA KWESTANY“A question I have begun to ask myself is when do I stop travelling?” 11

escapePhotography Genie Austin 12

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escapeThe Valley of the Moon on the outskirts of La Paz, to hidden waterfalls, falling in-love and even recoveringBolivia is one of the most scenic places I have come from a car accident, my experiences were a variedacross. Flower orchards surround Aymari villages, cocktail of highs, lows and everything in between.framed by a colourful array of jagged mountains.This is where I lived whilst working as a videographer By the time I reached Peru I had started to realise a fewfor UP Close Bolivia; an NGO (non-governmental things. Human connections I had left at home emergedorganisation). I was hired to produce two promotional as an incredibly important factor in my life and I wasvideos in exchange for somewhere to stay. This was a missing the company of those I know and love. This isperfect opportunity to ease into a small community and something I had given up, and in doing so I had let goobserve my surroundings whilst living as part of it for a of the comforts which a stable life amongst friends andtime. Not only was I in one of the most beautiful places family can bring. Interestingly this act actually enabled meI could dream of but I was working alongside some very to connect with strangers on a deeper level, and withoutinspiring people. I could not have begun to imagine this the distractions and comforts I had grown accustomedway of life when I first set off from the UK in October to, I have become more observant. I listen and look at2011. Leaving the UK was my escape, but perhaps I my immediate surroundings much more intensely thandidn’t put much thought into what I wanted to get out I ever have. I came to discover that I felt incredibly free.of travelling at that time. It wasn’t a self-exploration I essentially had no responsibilities and could do as Ifinding myself journey, this much I am sure. Between wished. Sure I had been running on a limited visa in eachthe choices I had before me as a new film graduate - country I visited but I felt incredibly lucky; comparedmove to London and work for free making coffees with many nationalities my British passport had givenon productions I didn’t care for, or perhaps set up my me access to a great deal of the world.own business selling waterproof sponges - leaving thecountry on an endless unplanned adventure seemed I also discovered that just travelling can be quite bor-like the only viable option. In truth I had been seeking ing. Going from place to place, to a new place and thensuch adventure for years, relishing the idea of getting the next place, variations in food, culture, and music be-closer to the unknown and opening doors that I didn’t gan to grow smaller. After visiting the hotspots, takingknow existed. I started to advertise my belongings and the tours and mingling with other travellers who hadset up some market stalls - my computer, my stereo, all done the same things, the sense of adventure beganmy clothes, my life-sized stuffed tiger; my old life for to fade. Picking up my camera and putting my skills tosale. Within a few weeks I had managed to sell or give work gave me a new kind of energy. I got excited aboutaway all of my earthly possessions, and it was such a being on the road again. On top of developing myselfrefreshing feeling. creatively I now see that I can give something to the places I visit rather than just pass through. I amOff I went. First to Cuba, then Mexico; down through actively searching for jobs at the next destinationCentral and South America. Visiting Mayan ruins, and can now see that there is big demand for film-relaxing on pristine beaches, whale spotting, walking makers in some of the most remote places in thethrough Sunday markets, dealing with food poisoning world; working in this way while travelling couldon a weekly basis, exploring cities, getting lost, trekking easily become a way of life for me. 14

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escape IN CONVERSATION WITH NICK HAND HITTING THE ROAD ON HIS METALLIC STEAD WITH A CAMERA AND A SOUND RECORDER; NICK IS A COLLECTOR OF STORIES FROM ‘ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO DO EXTRAORDINARY THINGS, WITHOUT EVEN BEING AWARE OF IT’. THE SAME COULD SAID ABOUT NICK.Interview by Rachel Taylor 19Edited by Maria TaylorP. Photography Murray BallardPhotography Nick Hand

escapeIntroductionAs he proudly states, Nick is a ‘born and bred saddle-bag of road maps. His medium to tell theseBristolian’ who lives and works in his home city of insightful stories is a series of compiled ‘soundslides’:Bristol as a graphic designer. But, over recent years, it slideshows of images accompanied by the narrationshas been his love of the bicycle that has increasingly of the crafters telling their own stories themselves.come to dominate his life and, as he readily admits, hasalmost led him to take on a second career. Nick describes those that he met as, ‘quite ordinary people who do quite extraordinary things but without‘In an idle moment’, as Nick puts it, whilst on a even being aware of it’; and yet, the same could becycling holiday in Cornwall with his wife Harriet, Nick said of Nick. At the age of 56, when many would seecontemplated how long it would take to cycle around this as a time to take it easy, Nick sees it as a time tothe coastline of the British Isles. From this thought, get up and get those things done that matter mostalong with encouragement from friends and family, in to him. He is passionate about cycling and he speaksthe summer of 2009 he set off on an epic journey that with nothing but respect and admiration for thewould take him over 6,000 miles, 137 days, and 930 people whose stories he has helped shed light on. Ithours on the saddle. As well as the lengthy journey, is obvious that he is someone who cares deeply abouthis ambition was to collect the life stories of artisans the ‘little man’ and believes that they have much toand craftspeople that he would meet along the way, offer and teach us. For him, these are the people whoand recount their tales to give others the opportunity value quality over quantity; workmanship and skillto ‘meet an inspirational group of people living and over speed and cost, and they are prime examplesworking on the coast.’ that show doing what you love most can bring its own rewards.He called the project Slowcoast. And from herehe got a taste for it and he continued to embark Nick tells stories of different people’s amazing andon more journeys, with the same ambitions. Since diverse skills, stories that speak of dedication andSlowcoast Nick has cycled, and collected the stories of commitment; but most of all they are stories about theinteresting and inspirational craftspeople, in the States, passion, drives and a love for the craft that motivatesthe Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, and most recently, the this aspirational and inspirational group of people.Isle of Skye in Scotland. We met up with Nick at a coffee shop in Bristol, keen to hear his story, his passions and his drives.Often taking months off at a time, Nick would hitthe road on his metallic steed, armed with his camera(a very nice one at that), a sound-recorder and a 20

escapeInterview took place 29th August 2013. 21

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escapeA LIFE UPWARD WORDS IVANA MCCONNELL “I SEE CREATIVITY AS A PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE: ARTISTS WRESTLE WITH IDEAS, BATTLE WITH FRUS- TRATION, AND THEY FEEL THE ADRENALINE THAT COMES WITH GETTING THINGS RIGHT” 23

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escape“I’VE CLIMBED IN THE MOUNTAINS,IN DESERTS, IN WOODLANDSAND INDUSTRIAL AREAS, ANDEACH LOCATION HOLDS ITS OWNUNIQUE MAGIC. THE BACKDROPIS OFTEN WHAT PROVIDES MEWITH THE ENCOURAGEMENTAND INCENTIVE TO GATHERTOGETHER MY LAST DROPS OFENERGY AND TRY AGAIN, IF ONLYSO I CAN BE WORTHY OF THELANDSCAPE I’M STANDING IN. “ 27

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escapeBouldering is a discipline within rock climbing. Eight Creativity isn’t something often associated withto ten powerful moves to climb a single boulder from sports of such a physical nature. But when faced withthe ground up, without the use of ropes. The climb a boulder problem, I have to use my imagination tois often called “the problem,” and the sole objective make my mind and my body strong enough to moveis to start as low as possible, then climb over the top in the right way. The movements have to be so tightlywithout a fall. It sounds simple, and at the outset it controlled, so precise, and there’s just as much luckcan be, but it’s so much better when it isn’t. involved as there is intellect and strength.The challenge is in understanding how to use the Often, so much of the inspiration comes from thevarious and unique holds on the rock face in order setting and the immersion in the vast and exposedto make it to the top and climb over. Depending on environment of the climb. I’ve climbed in theheight, style and body type, there exists a multitude mountains, in deserts, in woodlands and industrialof ways to use the same hand and footholds. That’s areas, and each location holds its own unique magic.where the real joy of climbing is: in figuring out the The backdrop is often what provides me with thesequence that makes sense for me; the one sequence encouragement and incentive to gather togetherthat, when executed properly, feels easy and makes my last drops of energy and try again, if only so Ime forget all of the failed attempts that have come can be worthy of the landscape I’m standing in. Ibefore. This could happen the first time I try, but it have to look at the problem and re-think it, use mycould also take hundreds of attempts and hundreds imagination to find a different way to use my handsof falls, each one more frustrating than the last. and feet - my only tools - and fix them if they aren’t good enough.alling is an awful feeling. It brings with it the realisationthat I haven’t been good enough. Sometimes I don’t I’ve been told that climbing is a futile exercise and thatreact at all, other times I scream in frustration and the it can’t be an art. At the end of a climb, they tell me,sound echoes across the valley. My foot placement there is nothing: nothing is produced, and nothing iswasn’t right. My hands didn’t have enough chalk on changed. In a way, these people are correct; all that existsthem. I caught the handhold just a little too far to are the emotions that come from sitting at the base of athe left, and missed the one sweet spot on the rock. boulder for hours at a time, obsessing over the smallestSomething went wrong and I have to find out what of foot placements and turns of movement, but thereit is, make it right, and try again. I need to put it is still no physical object which exists as evidence of thetogether with every other move in the sequence. It’s hours, days, weeks of effort. After a climb is finished,physical and sometimes attritional, but controlled I can only look back on it briefly before moving on toand incredibly creative. the next, because the next climb has become the newest obstacle, the unexplored challenge staring me in the face and daring me to be better. 29

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escapeLET NATURE BE NATURE WORDS JODY DAUNTON 31

escapeGermany is home to the Bavarian Forest National explosion of the bark beetle population – sustainedPark. It is the largest protected and unbroken by the abundance of dead, weak, or susceptible treeswoodland in Central Europe, comprising of 243km – spread furiously. So much so that they began to alsoof densely forested low-mountain terrain. Located in attack many of the healthy spruces. Under pressurethe Southeast corner of Germany, it extends along from local residents and land owners, the Park Servicethe Czech border and feeds into the Sumava National responded to the outbreak with preventative measuresPark the Bohemian Forest of the Czech Republic. such as creating buffer zones, where the felling and removal of infected trees was used to help preventThe Bavarian Forest was declared Germanys first further outbreaks of bark beetles in neighbouring forests.national park in 1970, affirming the forests importanceand sowing the seeds for the let nature be nature For centuries prior to the National Parks establishment,woodland management philosophy that was later put the Bavarian forests were subjected to logging andinto action following a destructive thunderstorm in monoculture planting of spruce trees, leaving very little1983. This natural disaster uprooted and damaged biodiversity; the mostly all-spruce-tree forest, therefore,thousands of spruce trees, and in the wake of its became susceptible to disease and pests. Usually barkdestruction the Bavarian State Minister for Agriculture beetle populations will remain modest in size, and theyand Forestry, Dr Hans Eisenmann, along with the are said to help keep the health of the forest strongfirst Director of the Bavarian Forest National Park, by only attacking weak or dead trees. To support theHans Bibelriether, made the decision not to interfere National Parks ethos – let nature be nature – the Parkor clear the trees and debris, but to allow the forest Service has sought to alter the publics perceptionto naturally rebalance itself. This decision enabled and improve public awareness on the bark beetle,the natural ecology of the forest to regenerate highlighting the potential benefits of the insect andorganically and allowed Mother Nature to once again encouraging people to not view them as pests but asdemonstrate her autonomy from human intervention. a key part of a healthy forest. As a natural balance re- establishes itself, park officials are now promoting theThe absence of human involvement within the idea that, on the whole, the forest will grow back muchBavarian Forest has proven controversial, especially stronger, with trees with a higher resilience to pests andwith local residents. A prime example of this was diseases.during the adverse windfall during the mid 1990s,where many spruce trees were uprooted, again, and The Bavarian National Park is very much a living,left to rot on the forest floor. This is thought to have evolving and ever changing experiment for forestbeen the catalyst for a catastrophic infestation of management. The handover of the woodlands backthe European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus; to Mother Nature may take some time to redress –their outbreak resulted in a high proportion of tree as shown by the epidemic of the bark beetle – but asdeaths and sparked an outcry by the local residents. Eisenmann advocated, we should appreciate our forests for the natural wonders that they are.The locals concerns were primarily over the possibilityof the bark beetles spreading across vast areas of thenational park, as well as towards large cultivated areasof privately owned forests outside of the park. The 32

escapePhotography Jay Mantri

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escapeTHE SEA IS EMOTION INCARNATE. IT LOVES,HATES, AND WEEPS. IT DEFIES ALL ATTEMPTS TOCAPTURE IT WITH WORDS AND REJECTS ALLSHACKLES. NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY ABOUTIT, THERE IS ALWAYS THAT WHICH YOU CAN’T.” -Christopher Paolini Eragon 37

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escapeA SEED FOR LIFE WORDS MARIA TAYLOR 41

escapePhotography Neslihan Gunaydin 42

escapeHow valuable are seeds to you? Would you risk your life to still utilised today. However, under Stalin's regime, Vavilov'ssave them? Russian botanist and geneticist, Nikolai Vavilov, adherence to the Mendelian inheritance theory (of genesand his team of scientists believed them to be that valu- being passed on unaltered from generation to generation)able. Vavilov dedicated his whole life to collecting all useful was not favoured and, consequently, Stalin used Vavilov ascultivated varieties of agricultural plants and by 1940, had a scapegoat for the Russian famine, had him arrested forestablished the world's largest seed bank – at the All-Union sabotage, espionage and wrecking, and then sentenced toInstitute of Plant Industry – in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). death. The death sentence was commuted to twenty yearsThis was no mean feat considering that Vavilov's seed col- in prison in 1941 but in 1943 Vavilov died of starvation in alecting expeditions – to over 50 countries and across five gulag; a tragic end for someone who had dedicated their lifecontinents – coincided with the Russian civil war, two worldwars and civil unrest in many of the countries he visited. His to the feeding of others.memoirs are peppered with stories of how he literally riskedlife and limb to obtain these seeds, resulting in his journals In 1941, German troops surrounded Leningrad (St. Peters-reading more like a script for an Indiana Jones movie than burg) and cut off the city believing that it would then falla travel diary. He was arrested as a German spy; had to within weeks from lack of food. The Siege of Leningradskirt battle lines; travelled across sweltering hot deserts; was lasted two and a half years with a death toll of over 800,000abandoned by his guides in the Pamir Mountains of Central people; many dying from starvation, including a number ofAsia; became seriously ill when he contracted malaria and the Vavilov's scientists. Through a bitter winter, when therethen typhus whilst travelling in Ethiopia; was nearly killed was no fuel for heating and temperatures fell to a recordwhen he fell between two cars on a moving train; and so the low of minus 400 C, these scientists barricaded themselveslist goes on. inside the Institute to protect the seeds. They were not only protecting them from the bombings and from falling intoYou may ask why someone would go to such great lengths the hands of the Nazis, but also from their own starvingfor a handful of seeds, but Vavilov was a visionary who citizens and the city's starving mice and rats. In a buildingbelieved that world hunger and famine could be alleviat- filled with food, these scientists chose to die of hunger rath-ed by utilising the science of genetics to breed more sus- er than eat this precious collection, in the belief that thetainable crops, and even possibly a super plant that could future of humanity depended upon it.be grown anywhere in the world. Collecting seeds – morespecifically collecting seeds from the wild relatives of crop They were not the first to hold such a belief. The collectionplants (CWR) – was crucial to this vision. Vavilov believed of seeds was one of the most important rituals ofthat these wild ancestors – having evolved over thousands ancient farming with seed banks being found in ancientof years and built up a natural resistance to pests, adverse Mesopotamia (Iraq) dating from as far back as 6750BC.weather and other environmental conditions – could over Food sources back then were not guaranteed and thetime produce hardier crops when crossbred with their ge- success of harvests and future crops could not be left tonetically deprived relations. capricious weather and the ever-present threat of disease. In this early stage of modern civilization, 'seed banks' wereUnder Lenin's regime, Vavilov's vision was given full scope as rudimentary as dry leather pouches hung around theand Vavilov almost singlehandedly established Russia as neck with the most essential seeds carefully stored inside.world leader within the fields of plant science, genetics, and Keeping seeds was vital for the preservation and growththe study of agricultural biodiversity. He also established of humankind. By harvesting and propagating specifichimself as one of the world's most original contributors to seeds, our ancestors were able to grow more effectiveagricultural geography and plant conservation – knowledge crops that returned a greater yield of more resilient food. 43

escapeFor people today in the Western world, where food is Myers, stated back in 1990, in his paper, Mass Extinctions:plentiful, the collecting and storing of seeds may seem more What can the Past Tell Us About the Present and Future?of a hobby than a necessity, and the hardships and sacrifices that he wrote for the multidisciplinary journal, Globalof Vavilov and the Russian scientists may seem a little and Planetary Change, “ironically it is this same speciesextreme, but are they? According to many environmentalists, that possesses the unique capacity to stem and even haltour demand for easily accessible and constant food supplies, the exceptionally destructive tide of extinctions thatplus crops for such essentials as medicine, clothing, fuel and is washing over the Earth’s biotas”. And this is exactlybuilding supplies, has taken its toll on the planet; so much what individuals, institutions, national and internationalso, that we may soon be guilty for the mass extinction of the agencies have been attempting to do. The realisation thatworld’s flora. We are much to blame for the alarming rate of our ancestors, as well as Nikolai Vavilov and his Russianthe planet’s decreasing biodiversity through the destruction scientists, were right – the future of humanity doesof natural habitats, pollution and climate change; all of depend on seeds – has led to a renewed vigour in thewhich pose serious threats to the world’s ecosystem. Many collecting and storing of seeds, because without them weenvironmentalists also insist that pursuing the biological will ensure our own extinction.criteria that will ensure the greatest amount of food forthe littlest effort and smallest price tag is a ticking bomb. Following in the footsteps of Vavilov, who is often referredOn average, there are 7,000 plant species that are used as to today as ‘the father of modern seed banks’, there arefood crops worldwide, however, only 12 of them account now over 1,400 seed banks around the world, manyfor approximately 80% of world’s consumption. Of these, with government support, with the largest seed bankscorn, wheat and rice currently account for 43% of all food – both in number and in size – dedicated to collectingconsumption and, as persistence with monoculture crops crop seeds. Worldwide, many of these independentcontinues to make our food genetically vulnerable, there is research centres – where the seed banks are located –the potential for whole crops to be wiped out by a single receive support and funding from umbrella organisationpest or disease. This was the case with the commercially CGIAR, to enable them to achieve their overall objectivesgrown sterile banana called the ‘Gros Michel’ in the 1950s, of protecting endangered species and ensuring a backupwhich became virtually extinct from Panama disease (a of seeds in case of a catastrophe; including a renewedsoil based fungus). Sadly, this is set to happen again to the campaign for the collecting and conserving of CWRCavendish banana that replaced it. It is the world’s most (Crop Wild Relatives). By globally uniting, they are ablewidely traded fruit and it is estimated the financial loss could to pool resources, knowledge, research and technology,be as high as £5.3 billion. and collaborate on policy making, as well as the collecting, sharing and storing of seeds.The rise in numbers of the human population is asignificant contributor to these issues; figures have tripledover the twentieth century with a global population now at7 billion people. Yet, as much as we humans are to blamefor the plight of the world’s ecosystems, as the Britishenvironmentalist and conservationist pioneer, Norman 44

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escapeTHE STORY OF IUnderstanding the Conceptual Self WE ALL LOVE STORIES because stories fascinate the human mind. We engage in stories because stories are the natural language of the neocortex, the part of our brain that assigns meaning to thoughts, and arranges them analytically into a causal sequence — a story. We are immersed in stories: every movie, every book and every music video tells a story. And every person we know also has a story by which they define themselves and by which we define them. But the most interesting stories, from the perspective of consciousness, are the ones we tell about ourselves — who we are and and what has made us that way. These are stories we live by, these are the stories that determine most of our actions, thoughts and feelings. Usually with stories, it is better to start at the beginning. But in this case, it would be more illuminating to start at the end, for the end of the story we tell about ourselves — The Story of I — happens more frequently than we imagine, and it gives us an understanding of how the story begins. The end happens spontaneously when we drift off to sleep at night, and in waking moments when we ‘lose ourselves’ in some activity or inactivity. When The Story of I stops, time stands still and we feel a deep inner peace, a peace that even soldiers on the battlefield have described in times of deep trauma, a peace that can be defined as a complete disengagement from all life’s stories. When we disengage from The Story of I, when we stop identifying with it, the deep sense of peace we invariably feel indicates that peace is the ground state of our being. But it is our personal story that gives our lives meaning because it defines us a particular person distinct from everything and everybody else, and meaning needs the particular in order to make sense. After all, things that are not defined cannot be ascribed meaning. So it would seem we have a choice between meaning and peace, between being a somebody and being a nobody. Identification with our stories make us a somebody, and it is these stories that we carry around with us like an identity card, to show others at every opportunity who we are. But if we look closely at our story, we realize, deep down, that they are fictions of self. For who we are in moments when we are disengaged from The Story of I has little to do with the type of person we think we are and the events of our lives. Outside our stories we are not individuals — we are awareness, pure and simple. This makes most of us extremely uncomfortable, and so we spend our lives trying to validate our stories in order to validate an objective self. 50

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escapeSo it would seem we have a choice between meaning and peace,between being a somebody and being a nobody. Identificationwith our stories make us a somebody, and it is these stories that wecarry around with us like an identity card, to show others at everyopportunity who we are. But if we look closely at our story, we realize,deep down, that they are fictions of self. For who we are in momentswhen we are disengaged from The Story of I has little to do with thetype of person we think we are and the events of our lives. Outsideour stories we are not individuals — we are awareness, pure andsimple. This makes most of us extremely uncomfortable, and so wespend our lives trying to validate our stories in order to validate anobjective self.Life looking deeply. Finds in its heartOnly empty awareness,A foundation of nothingUpon which to buildFabricated selves.The validation of The Story of I involves every aspect of our lives:from our behaviour to our clothes. We play at being a person becausethat way we have the comfortable illusion that we are something real,something solid. So we enter into a conspiracy of personification —you believe my story and I will believe yours. We spend our lives actingout The Story of I, playing the lead character in our own production.But we have to concede that when that story ends, consciousness doesnot end. Consciousness or awareness continues into those momentsof empty peace that lie behind the world of illusions. And we areno less-than for having spent some moments in emptiness when wecome back into our stories. Indeed, exposing ourselves to emptinessis associated with new life and vitality. Just think how we feel after agood night of deep sleep! 52